The Horror: Moldy Figure Skating Boots

Yesterday I hauled Ice Girl and Ice Friend through the snow to Milwaukee’s Pettit National Ice Center and the Rainbo Sports pro shop.

Our mission: to exchange Ice Friend’s old blades with Ice Coach’s used blades.

The problem: mold and mildew.

Ice Friend bought her boots and blades a year ago at a different shop. The shop folks took her money and sent her on her way. Ice Friend had no idea that the untreated figure skate boot soles would trap moisture and encourage mold and mildew beneath her blades.

Ice Friend was ticked when she saw that mildew (the black stuff in the photo above). However, Renee at Rainbo said she’d take care of it, the mildew would be manageable, and Ice Friend’s blade wouldn’t fall off during a salchow.

When we bought Ice Girl’s new boots, we waited an additional two weeks while Renee sealed the leather soles with marine-grade varnish and a bit of glitter. Varnish and careful drying of the boot and blade after ice time is the best way to make sure the darn things don’t rot. That’s Plan A for avoiding boot mildew.

Here’s what Renee did for Plan B, the solution to Ice Friend’s problem. Renee removed the blade (don’t do this at home), dried out the soles with her heat ray gun (a hair dryer will do), blasted the can of Sno Seal with her heat ray to melt it, and then used a cheap foam craft brush to paint the entire sole, heel, and a bit of the white boot with the Sno Seal. She was generous with the amount. Renee let the Sno Seal dry and then wiped off the excess with paper towels. In the photo above, you can see Renee’s heat ray, Ice Friend’s mildewy boot, and the brush full of molten Sno Seal.

Renee mounted the new blades and sold Ice Friend a $5 can of Sno Seal, which Ice Friend is supposed to smear on her boots once a month. The leather soles are noticeably darker than the untreated leather, but stopping that mildew thing is a big bonus.

For the official directions, you can visit the Sno Seal people’s official Web site here: http://www.atsko.com/articles/footware/sno-seal-instructions.html